EDF: The Shadow of New Despair
by nahum4u2
Summary: My stories tend to get romantic for some reason so don't be surprised if there is a sex scene or two at some point.
1. Authors Note

Authors note:

When I first started playing this game I found it to be dull and unrewarding due to just "shoot and fire"; a trite concept with many games. As I progressed through the game and discovered I could play online with other players, my hands just couldn't let go of the controller for the remainder of the day which left me quite satisfied with this game. So this is my tribute and thanks to all those that happened to stumble across the room "Sniper 5 Detail" and to all those that just enjoyed the game as much as I did. Thank you for watching my back.


	2. Prelude

" _Honey can you get the door I got grease on my fingers_ "

" _Sure! Hey kids go play outside ok_ "

The kids happily ran outside without a second thought on their mother orders. They just finished having a barbeque with their neighbors and friends so the happy family was beginning to unwind and clean up after a short Sunday afternoon.

" _Dad can I have more ice cream?"_

 _"_ _What!? That's like your third cup."_

 _"_ _Come on dad please"_

He just couldn't say no to those eyes but then again he wouldn't mind seeing those watery eyes forever, in fact he would rather his trouble maker never grow up and remain a child. The child thanked him with love and admiration; A father thankful and grateful each time for the trouble.

He went back inside to place the leftovers in the fridge and found his wife cleaning the kitchen with a hum in her step.

 _"_ _Your kids are spoiled"_

 _"_ _Oh really? I wonder who they take after" She was referring to him with a smile on her face._

 _"_ _Oh hey! A letter came for you"_

 _"_ _What? On a Sunday?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, It's weird"_

He picked up the letter but at first glance nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He was distracted by the mother yelling out of the window to her kids not to play throwing dirt at each other.

 _"_ _Jeez, your kids are spoiled"_ He let out a chuckle and kissed her as she left outside to stop the kids from throwing dirt.

The kids, having been scorned by their mother, decided it would be better to play something else. Looking around they found a jump rope from earlier and decided it'd be much more fun to play jump rope with each other.

 _"_ _Hey mom! Come play with us!"_ The mother looked at them with affection but still had things to clean before the day was done.

 _"_ _Maybe later you kids have fun"_ They began to play as she continued with the chores.

 _"_ _Hey! Let's play with that song dad taught us"_

" _To save our mother earth from any alien attack,_

 _From vicious giant insects who have once again come back,_

 _We'll unleash all our forces we won't cut them slack,_

 _The EDF deploys!_

 _Our soldiers are prepared for any alien threats,_

 _The navy launches ships, the air force sends their jets,_

 _And nothing can withstand our fixed bayonets,_

 _The EDF Deploys!_

 _Our forces have now dwindled and we pull back to regroup,_

 _The enemy has multiplied and formed a massive group,_

 _We better beat these bugs before were all turned to soup,_

As the mother began disposing of the plates from earlier she instantly recognized the song and looked at them in surprise that they would pick a song she thought her husband had forgotten, but then again she couldn't forget the song either.

As she took the utensils inside the house, she noticed her husband's back as he was sitting down on the chair and reading the letter from earlier.

 _"_ _So did anything interesting come in?"_ There was no answer from him just dead silence as she placed the utensils in the sink.

 _"_ _Hey! Did something come in?"_ She thought he didn't hear him so she spoke a little louder, but again no answer. She went to his side to look at him and as she placed her hand on his shoulder she saw tears running down his face staring at the letter from earlier. It only took a glance at the letter's EDF's seal for her to understand his composure. With fear in her heart she hugged him tightly and knew she had to stay strong again.

" _Wing Diver at your command sir"_ He paused for a few moments and said "

 _The EDF Deploys!"_


	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Sniper 5

 _"_ _Goddamit! Keep running!"_ His remaining squad was being devoured slowly as vicious ants took his men in a grotesque manner. His men, their ammo, and their hope were nearly depleted as orders from Headquarters were to defend the line at all cost. Even though he understood the safe houses for civilians were between the enemy and them, the captain still gave the order to retreat. He had seen enough of his men being devoured, yelling in agony for help only to be ripped to shreds or being saved and losing body parts only to die slowly later on. The best course of action was a quick bullet to the head to avoid the pain.

 _"_ _No more!"_ They were now running in an attempt to lead the enemy away from the civilians with a slim chance of survival, the last remaining hope, run. Another EDF soldier fell and many ants were soon on him ripping him apart limb from limb, the other men took a quick glance at his eyes for help but knew any attempt to save their comrade would result in the same fate; the only option was to run, shoot, and pray.

 _"_ _Captain, what the fuck!? Where the hell is backup"_ The captain didn't answer his subordinate he just ordered them to shut up and keep running, he wasn't an idiot, he radioed for back up the moment he saw the swarm coming at his squad like a wave only to get a response that resources were thinned out and his squad wasn't the only frontline on the battlefield. If anything they had only been a back up to the previous squad before them. The ravagers must have been laughing at the pathetic attempt mankind put up as a battle.

 _"_ _A battle? More like a slaughter. No choice"_

He ordered his squad into one of the nearby buildings with only a metal door as an entrance. He knew it wouldn't hold up but at least they could fight their way to the top of the building and funnel them out one by one. A pathetic attempt at survival he thought.

 _"_ _Get inside the building! We're going up to the roof"_ The soldiers knew the bugs could break in and crawl through building taking out anyone inside but some of them thought that a rescue helicopter was on its way so they rushed inside and fired back at the swarm of ants still coming at them.

 _"_ _Sergeant! Grenade! Close that fucking door!"_ The sergeant's reflexes were quick, he threw a grenade at the door as soon as the last man made it through the door catching a few ants in the process and barricading the door.

 _"_ _Captain! The stairs have collapsed and the power isn't working, what the fuck captain? Orders!?"_ The scared soldiers were actually looking at their captain the same way his children would when they were frightened. But the captain knew he had made a grave error, there was only one way out and that was already blocked. He wanted to take out as many ants as possible but ended up leading his men into a death trap.

 _"_ _Fucking brilliant! Everyone shoot until your empty, and don't stop fighting until the end, use your remaining grenades first."_

 _"_ _Captain what about the rescue? What about the helo?"_

 _"_ _Shut the fuck up, and get ready to fire! They'll be here any second now"_ He shouted but there was despair covering his entire being as he readied and prayed to see his family in the next life.

They could hear shots being fired outside, like the sound of a tank only muffled from a distance. The soldiers were still at the ready with their guns drawn and pointed at the entrance. Something was off; the bugs had not broken through yet even though they were right behind them. The captain was sure they should have all died by now but they were still very much alive, had backup really come to save them?

 _"_ _Sergeant get on the comms and see if you can get a hold of anyone, the rest of you at the ready. Don't move an inch until we know we're in the clear!"_ He could actually hear the rifles shaking from the frightened soldiers as they aimed their guns toward the entrance.

 _"_ _Any station, this net, any station this net. This is ranger team 3 come in please"_ The captain could hear the fear in his voice as if pleading for their lives.

A few minutes had passed and they could still hear the single shots being fired from a distance, they only stood there with their rifles drawn ready to fire and the voice of their radioman desperately trying to reach out to someone with no response from any station. One of the soldiers managed to break the eerie silence.

 _"_ _Was that backup? Are we safe?"_

 _"_ _Don't move until we get communications restored?"_ The captains stern voice was due to him not trusting the situation, he had already made a mistake, if the bugs would break through he wanted to be prepared and take as many as he could with them.

An hour had now passed, no comms were established, they had been frozen still in what seemed like a life time in single position; speaking only briefly to avoid madness and restore their morale.

 _"_ _I think it stopped"_ The captain stopped breathing for a moment then asked.

 _"_ _Sergeant any word on the comms?"_

 _"_ _No sir, nothing yet"_

 _"_ _I hope that's was HQ, keep trying"_

 _"_ _Yes sir! Any station, this net, any station this net. This is ranger team 3 come in please"_ Another brief silence but then a ray hope.

 _"_ _Ranger Team 3, sorry for not responding earlier I was preoccupied by a few pests, you are in the clear please proceed with caution as I sweep the area around"_

There was a cheer from the other soldiers as most of them lowered their guns and the captain took the radio.

 _"_ _Be advised, we are under attack by multiple hostiles our squad is barricaded inside building 14 of the 3_ _rd_ _block, do you have a visual? Over"_

 _"_ _I have a visual on your location; no hostiles present in your area, proceed with caution and take your time. You won't be dying today."_

 _"_ _This is Ranger Team 3… thank you… over and out"_

 _"_ _Any time, this is Sniper 5, over and out"_


	4. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: At Your Command

He sat down on the floor with his back against the wall enjoying the morning rays through the building window and took a bite of his late breakfast. An MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) was as healthy as it was light, he didn't understand why it was the other soldiers disliked them so much, then again people always did tell him he had strange taste. He had been moving all night until dawn; he had orders to once again lay in wait for the enemy at the top of the building but decided he would have a better shot from the inside of the building somewhere near the middle floors. Plus he didn't like the idea of bugs crawling up and sneaking up on him, at least inside, he would have a chance to react if they came through the hallway of the abandoned buildings. He lay down on the floor again looking out the window at the clear sky, wondering how many bugs he was going to take out today; if he managed to take out more than 100 like last time he would treat himself to 3 MRE's.

He closed his eyes for a minute thinking about the outcome of the upcoming battle, he could provide cover for his fellow comrades but when the swarm takes over it's hard to aim and miss the friendlies. His fatigue and the meal from earlier made him drowsy, he could feel sleep taking over him. It was fine, the battle had not yet begun and he was the only one there.

…

…

…

…

…

…

Time passed and he slept like a baby taking comfort in the sun's rays. As he began to dream he felt the earth shattering blast of a tank that had just gone off followed by multiple shots after. Thousands of guns going off at once could be heard within the second and it brought him back to reality and out of his sleep.

 _"_ _Looks like it's time for me to get to work."_ The sniper doesn't give out the first shot because the bugs are alerted and the swarm comes after him; only until they're distracted are they easy pickings. He came up to the window and immediately caught a few in his sight making their way to the tanks.

 _"_ _Like fish in a barrel, easy"_ He carried two main guns with him on his missions _"The Lysander Z and the Stringer J3". "Lavender and Stinger"_ he would call them for nick names. He considered them to be siblings because they both complemented each other. Such was the force of each of these cannons that when fired. it would pass through the armor of each enemy and move on to the next one devastating their numbers; which is how he would get more enemies as they came at him.

 _"_ _Stupid bugs"_ They would line up for his shots and expect only one to be taken down, the Stringer J3 would pass right through them taking down a few at a time while the Lysander Z would quickly follow up the remaining pests. Lavender and Stinger: armor piercers that would rip through them like paper, his guns were worthy of praise in any situation, of course the recoil was enough to nearly rip a normal person's arm off.

Through the corner of his eye he could see as the EDF army continued their advance into the abandoned city. Rangers and Fencers would be up close and personal while the wing diver got the ones crawling on the building walls, Air Raiders would call in the remaining cavalry. If they kept up this pace the bug's extermination would be close at hand.

As he kept shooting into the crowd of ants he noticed that there were fewer soldiers and less movement in the air. Did the Wing Divers retreat? No, there are still too many bugs on the ground and the soldiers were only keeping them at bay. Something was off about this situation but he didn't know how to describe it, just a gut feeling in his stomach. He stopped shooting for a few moments to investigate the situation. Up in the sky he could see a Wing Diver shooting frantically with no enemies around her. Suddenly it hit him; he raced to other side of the window to find a gigantic spider web, an ambush from behind. Now on the Spider Web, crawling repulsively towards its caught prey was a giant Retiarius spider the size of a whale, huge and disgusting was his only thought. He could hear the victims in its mouth as it used its massive pincers and took them apart little by little.

 _"_ _Disgusting Freak!"_ He fired a shot and caught it straight through its eyes having the bullet rip through its head and on to its abdomen shredding the spider to pieces and leaving an arch trail of blood sprinkled in the sky. He shot at the web multiple times to keep it from catching any other unlucky Wing Diver, and proceeded to shoot down the other arachnids. He could have killed a lot more bugs on the ground but the Retiarius spiders came first. If those spiders shot its web toward the soldiers not only would they be immobilized but they would fall victim to other bug attacks in the process.

Each shot he fired hit its mark, precise and deadly. The soldiers on the ground were oblivious to his actions so continued the battle as their guardian and proceeded to take care of the pests.

Even though he would hit his marks, the web spread out across the buildings were wasting more shots than he anticipated at this rate he was going to run out of bullets soon. Thus he found the empty click on his lavender gun as his last shot was fired and he needed to reload from another canister. Turning around he noticed he left the other canisters in the room across him when he dashed toward the other end of the building. He was running towards the room when he heard a disturbing noise of spray coming at him, he dashed to the side as he saw a web spray across the lobby.

 _"_ _Dammit!"_ If he had not run out of bullets he definitely would have been bug food. How could he have been so careless as to not notice earlier? No time to waste. His lavender was caught in the other room and caught in the web but he still had his stinger. He checked the magazine, one shot left. He had to make this count if he was going to survive. He could hear the abdomen of the giant Spider as it broke the buildings glass and sprayed the room full of deadly web. The spider was trying to sense his heat and his movement, if he moved now or touched the web it would notice him and immediately spray him. He would have to be careful, he could see the web dripping with something, fresh venom made mainly to paralyze but eventually kill. Just the way it likes its victim, screaming in horror as they see their intestine open and devoured by its predator, lucky for him the building had windows all around. He proceeded to the nearby window careful not to make any erratic movements to avoid being noticed. He got to the window, carefully pointed his gun outside and waited for his prey.

 _"_ _We shall see who is hunting who."_ He was betting everything on one shot, no different from any other time. The building had been surrounded by a giant web on the other side. It didn't matter though, as soon as it came to this side that damn bug was done for. He could still hear the shots on the ground below and in the air but one shot was aiming near his location.

 _"_ _Who is stupid enough to shoot at an ally?"_ He looked up directly and found that a Wing Diver was caught in the web directly above him. She had not been paralyzed but her armor was caught, any more movements and she would be dead for sure.

 _"_ _Even better"_ He thought, the spider will sense her vibrations and walk straight into my trap. It sucked for the Wing Diver because even though the Retiarius spider won't eat her she isn't going to be able to get away, the poisonous web would eventually drain her life.

He looked through the scope at the struggling Wing Diver and wondered who she was. Did she know she was going to die? Did she have a family or was she alone like he was?

 _"_ _How pathetic"_ He thought. This is war and she was just another casualty, there was no need to save her and he only had one final bullet for the spider if he used the bullet to cut the web it would mean he would risk the chance of the spider taking notice of him, killing him in the process and letting the other EDF soldiers die. This bit of common sense is what separate's humans from other beings; we think rationally.

For a second the Wing Diver stopped struggling, and noticed the sniper below her.

 _"_ _I am sorry"_ he whispered under his breath like she could hear him.

 _"_ _I only have one shot left, I either save you or let you die and save everyone else"_ Again he whispered under his breath. He stopped looking through the scope and waited for the spider. The Wing Diver had stopped struggling; he was beginning to think she had given up or that she was expecting him to save her.

 _"_ _No, I won't save you, I can't"_ The spider had shown itself and was making its way towards the Wing Diver completely forgetting about the sniper in the building.

 _"_ _Just a little more, give me one clear shot"_ He took one last look at the Wing Diver then aimed his Stinger at the spider.

 _"_ _Dammit"_ He found his usual firm trigger finger shaking a little, why was this resting so hard on his conscious? It's the natural order of things; Kill or be killed it's what he believed. Then again it didn't matter what he believed since time was running out and he had to take the shot. He felt like a rookie again trying hard not to breathe when taking a shot. As he looked through the scope he noticed that the Wing Diver had stopped and reached out to grip her gun but was unable to shoot the spider due to the direction the gun was pointing. What was she thinking?

 _"…_ _BLOODY HELL!"_ He turned his gun to the side and shot the side of the web at an angle allowing his shot to tear through the web and miss the giant spider. The Wing Diver was free but her equipment failed to start. She now had free reign over her gun and blasted the spider on her way down killing it and dropping to the bottom.

He stretched out his arm towards her and managed to catch her just in time, her equipment might not have been functioning at 100% but she still had enough thrust power and energy to catch his hand and make her way towards him. He pulled her towards him and was slammed into him with her small body. She lay on top of him gasping for breath as he tried to recover from the impact. She looked into his face and said:

 _"_ _Wing Diver 7 at your command"_


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Tool

 _"_ _That's suicide!"_ The Chief was mad at her for even asking such a request.

 _"_ _Even if it is, it's my decision and I am dead set on this. Just look at his record, he isn't even recognized for his valor. Chief let me do this I am begging you, he is one of the last remaining survivors and someone has to tell his story."_

The Chief glanced at the thick file labeled _"Covert Sniper Team"_ and made a deep sigh, the chief knew her Wing Diver had read its contents thoroughly and was convinced that this lone EDF soldier could make a difference in the fight against the ravager invasion. Still, the chief didn't want to hear that from one of her Wing Divers who frivolously wanted to join the company of someone so suicidal. The chief glanced at her subordinate as she happily read the contents of the file out loud to her.

 _"_ _He was originally a ranger in the field but volunteered after the first wave of the ravager invasion. After the government experimented with the remains of the first ravagers, unique weapons were created for specific soldiers so they could handle the force behind such arsenals. Although many were chosen, few survived. Out of 10 snipers that were set active, only 3 remain, he is Sniper number 5 of the 10…"_

The chief stopped her from reading any further into the file and tried to convince her otherwise.

 _"_ _You do realize that if you make this request you will only become a tool correct?"_

 _"_ _That's fine"_ The chief was looking at her sternly as if she just made a sarcastic remark toward her superior, she was going to have to learn one way or another.

 _"_ _Very well if that's your choice, I'll process the paperwork. You're dismissed"_

 _"_ _Thank you Chief"_ She excused herself and walked out of the small office. She smiled and laughed cheerfully thinking to herself.

 _"_ _I would rather be a useful tool than a useless human being."_


	6. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Partner

 _"_ _So how long you planning on following me?"_

She looked at him like he just made a joke, but his poker face indicated that he wasn't asking her for fun.

He didn't like having company around him especially if he thought they were just slowing him down. In terms of speed, a Wing Diver was faster but his bullets were faster still, he would rather work alone; it's the way it always was even in the company of the original 10.

…

…

…

…

Earlier that morning:

He woke up with his radio and a voice that was trying to establish communications with him.

 _"_ _Sniper 5 come in Sniper 5"_ He croakily got up from the hard surface of the 15th building floor. Trying to reach for the radio like it was an alarm clock but instead of snoozing it he subconsciously answered the call again.

 _"_ _Sniper 5 here, over"_ He would always sleep in the abandoned buildings of the city, he felt it was a little more comfortable than the safe houses that claimed to be "safe". He remembered when he was invited by one of the EDF's company to go sleep in the safe houses only to find out the next day that spider like insects had broken through the bottom and devoured everyone. At least in the high buildings he could sense the vibrations of insects or distant fire gunshots when they were close by. He was always at the ready even if at times he did feel lazy.

 _"_ _Sniper 5, we have multiple hostiles moving to area 4 proceed with caution and await orders from HQ. Over."_

 _"_ _Roger, this is Sniper 5, will be standing by in area 4, Over."_

 _"_ _Also, you will be assigned company, defend and guard your position in Area 4 in the meantime. Over"_

He was completely awake when he heard he was to be assigned company.

 _"_ _HQ, this is Sniper 5 didn't catch your last, read you broken, say again, was I to be assigned company? Over."_

 _"_ _Sniper 5 this is HQ, that's affirmative. You will be assigned company in the meantime. Watch each other's backs on the field. Over"_

 _"_ _HQ this is Sniper 5 I still read you broken, I don't work with anyone because they get killed, conversation. OVER!"_

 _"_ _Dammit this your fucking boss you will take on this mission and we will keep an eye on you or your rations and your privileges will be revoked until you learn to follow orders… Good luck out there… this is HQ… Over and out."_

He knew who the voice was on the other end, his sponsor he called him. In terms of monetary value there wasn't much left in this world thanks to the constant attacks from ravagers and insects over time but the EDF base's was the only sure place where he could get food (MRE's and such), clothing (armor), and occasional entertainment. His sponsor provided that while he was on the clock and he was sure the reason he got assigned someone was because there was no other way to monitor someone who carried armor piercing bullets all the time. Not only that, he had to prove he was earning his pay.

He lay back down on the ground of the building floor. The sun was still high up, so the ground wasn't cold anymore. He closed his eyes for a moment and went right back to sleep; Area 4 could wait a little longer while he caught up on his beauty sleep as he liked to call it. He was brought back from his sleep as soon as he heard something like a jet pack approaching, at first he thought it was a jet making its way in the sky but soon realized the jet was getting closer to his location. With fast reflexes he got up and took cover behind the wall only peering outside the building window for crawling enemies or flying ravager drones. He grabbed his gun, Lavender, and peeked out the side of the window wondering what the sound of a single Wing Diver was doing in the abandoned area. He zoomed in closer with the scope of his gun, just a small squeeze and the Wing Diver would have been knocked out of the sky. He visually scanned the area and realized there was no else with her, no back up or enemies. He began to wonder if she was scouting for enemies or just taking note of the area around her. He put away his gun and lay back down on the floor again.

 _"_ _I wonder if I can go back to sleep again?"_ He was trying to go to sleep but couldn't ignore the presence of a Wing Diver flying outside in his area. His curiosity wouldn't allow him the rest he needed.

 _"_ _Seriously! What the hell is she doing out there?"_ He got up again and pointed his lavender at her looking through scope and watching her movements. At one point she settled down and took off her helmet. Her looks suited his taste and he found himself looking through the glass at her a little longer than normal.

He stopped leering at her and started to wonder if he should go down to ask her what her business was in the area.

 _"_ _What do you think Lavender? Should I go down and talk to her?"_ He looked at his gun, an inanimate object with a nickname, but decided it would be too much trouble to find out what she was up to. Instead he continued to observe her actions. She placed her helmet back on, and pulled out a radio and set up an antenna.

 _"_ _I guess she was just scouting the area after all."_

As soon as she finished speaking into the radio she set it down and immediately fired three shots into the buildings around him with red smoke coming out of the windows.

 _"_ _What the hell!? She better not be…"_ In the few seconds she put down the radio a carpet bomb of fire devastated the buildings around him; Making him grab on to the side of the building.

 _"_ _What the hell does she think she's doing?"_ For a second she looked up to the crumbling buildings and began reaching for the radio again; only to have the antenna shot down and destroyed by his Lavender before she could place another call. She looked up at the direction the shot came, took off her helmet, smiled, and waved. He looked at her through the scope with a different thought in mind.

 _"_ _What the hell did I get myself into?"_

…

…

…

…

…

He made his way down to the bottom, where she sat on top of an abandoned car. As he came up walking to her she greeted him happily.

 _"_ _Good Morning sleepy head"_ He was looking at her with a disgruntled look in his face.

 _"_ _What the hell was that?"_

 _"_ _That was my morning greetings to you, first impressions are lasting impressions after all."_ She gave him a big smile.

 _"_ _They're also deadly impressions!"_

 _"_ _Yeah I know right! My friend happens to be in the Air Raider division so I called in a little favor."_

 _"_ _I think you're missing something here."_

 _"_ _Not at all! Wing Diver 7 at your command sir"_ She got up and gave a proud salute while standing at attention. He only gave her a puzzled look.

 _"_ _I am sorry who are you?"_

 _"_ _Wing Diver 7 at…"_

 _"_ _I got that you're a Wing Diver, my question is what hell are you doing in this area?_

 _"_ _As of 0700 hours I have been assigned as your partner in the fight against the ravager invasion."_ She proceeded to take out her papers and show it to him.

 _"_ _Partner? Wait No! HQ said company; they never mentioned anything about partner."_ He grabbed the orders from her hand and skimmed the papers, even though most it was gibberish to him. He never really did read his orders or bothered with the details after all.

 _"_ _Well regardless I am not taking in any partners no matter what orders or who their from…"_ She stopped him halfway and said.

 _"_ _Oh Yeah! The Guy at the main office told me to give you this"_ It was a bill with many items listed as Food (MRE's), Clothing (Armor), Ammo and supplies.

 _"_ _What the hell is this? I don't care about…"_ Then he found the letter on the back reading:

 _"_ _Sniper 5 you have been partnered up with Wing Diver 7, please be sure to keep her alive and safe as she will be monitoring and reporting back to HQ your excellent work. Should anything happen to her or you decide to decline this mission rest assured that your services at any EDF base will be… CUT OFF! Respectfully Yours. Boss._

 _P.S. I am not bullshiting!"_

She stared at him while he read the letter.

 _"_ _You look kinda pale, do you know that guy at the office? He seemed to know you when I talked to him."_

He slowly folded the letter and placed it in his pocket, then gave off a blank stare.

 _"_ _Whats wrong? Not feeling well?"_

 _"_ _I guess you could say that."_

 _"_ _Well then shall we try introductions one more time? Wing Diver 7 at your command."_

He lifted his arm slowly as if pausing, saluted weakly, and said:

 _"_ _Sniper 5 at yours"_


	7. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 _"_ _What do you mean retreat?"_ She was scowling at him as he started walking down the mountain pass.

 _"_ _Didn't you hear the order on the radio? The EDF is pulling back because the nest is being guarded by a shield. One shot from anybody and those guys will swarm at us, we got no chance."_

She still had an angry look on her face like she expected a different answer out him.

 _"_ _If we don't destroy that nest they are sure to multiply and reach the city eventually we can't just leave it the way it is!"_

He was beginning to wonder when she would drop this pointless argument. It's not like there wasn't any hope left it was just a tactical retreat for now, not a complete loss on the battlefield.

 _"_ _HQ hasn't given the order to attack. Our resources are thinned out and we can't risk any more soldiers' lives. We are on our own besides take another look around all the soldiers have already retreated so we should do the same"_

He started picking up his trusty Lavender and Stinger and began to walk off in the other direction.

 _"_ _You can't be serious!?"_

He stopped for a second to look back at her.

 _"_ _Dead serious! We aren't taking on that enemy there is just no way and there's too many of them. Not only that, there is a shield bearer guarding that hill; one shot and we'll be a dead giveaway."_

She ran up to him and blocked his path.

 _"_ _I know you can do it, those small houses on the other side what if there are survivors on the last remaining cabins of the entire region, we can protect them and we'll prevent future casualties"_

He stopped and looked at her

 _"_ _Is there something you want to tell me?"_

 _"_ _Believe me, I am more than motivated to kill a few bugs and I wouldn't ask you to do something I didn't think you were capable of doing."_

 _"_ _Good! Then let's be on our way"_ He started walking off again.

 _"_ _My squad all my comrades I worked with died just because I was too useless to protect them. I was the only one to survive."_ He continued walking as if not paying attention.

 _"_ _Consider yourself lucky you survived then"_

She jumped in front him.

 _"_ _Like hell I will! There should have been more I could have done. HQ is abandoning the people on the other side of that mountain."_

 _"_ _Yeah! Because they can't risk resources and lives, it's called common sense."_ He observed her pouting and found it amusing, chuckling at her sour face as if she was trying to make sense.

 _"_ _I took this mission because of the common sense you showed me that day."_

 _"_ _Hey! If you're referring to that little web incident then just forget the whole…"_

She blasted her jet pack and took off in the direction of the shield bearer.

 _"_ _Dammit!" That idiot!"_ He ran up to the mountain where he was set up earlier and prepared his Stinger and Lavender. With the shield in the way he wasn't going to be able to provide protection for her, the situation looked grim, as he started to contemplate the possibility that if he didn't fire any shots he could at least survive.

 _"_ _Dammit it all"_ Through his scope he could observe her approaching the shield at a high speed. He knew Wing Divers were fast but this was the first time to actually see one in action. Entering the Shield she immediately opened fire with her plasma gun straight at the shield source, the shield bearer itself. Now she'd done it, every single jumping spider was aware of her presence and begun shooting their web at her in an attempt to subdue and kill her. Lucky for her, the shield bearer was automatic and designed to move the moment it was fired upon directly. The shields force field began to move in the opposite direction of his stationed mountain, leaving many of the spiders exposed to his Lavender and Stingers wrath.

He started picking them off one by one but was immediately noticed by the nest presence, the swarm of spiders was beginning to pour out of the hole in response to the incoming attack of its enemy.

One web shot after another she managed to dodge in the air shooting off her plasma gun in the direction of the shield bearer. The only thing he could do was to worry about the incoming jumping spiders headed in his direction. He wasn't worried about running out of bullets, he was worried that in time the spiders would reach his location, and even with every shot he fired he could only take down one or two at a time, it would only be a matter of time before they reached him.

 _"_ _Elusive bastards!"_ He suddenly heard an explosion in the direction she had taken off in. What a surprising feat, even with all the odds stacked against her she had managed to take down the shield bearer but she was still helpless as more and more spiders kept coming after her.

 _"_ _Dammit"_ He couldn't target the spiders while their movements were unpredictable, they each wanted a piece of her and it was making it difficult to target each one separately. He needed to protect her somehow; the answer came to him in that split second.

 _"_ _That's it!"_ If he couldn't target the jumping spiders he would just target her. He set her sights on her and began to predict her movements, as she readied to dodge left he set his sights slightly right and readied himself.

At the moment she went left he hit his trigger and three were taken down at once.

 _"_ _Yes!"_ They could do it, with the shield bearer gone; it was open season on all bugs. He started to predict her movements and with a few more rounds shot off she began firing back instead of just running away.

Now with enough bugs off her back, he shot at the nest to cease the constant flow of spiders trying to crawl out. He managed to close and collapse the tunnel in six shots taking the last of spiders in a barricade of fire, closing it permanently.

He was beginning to have the invincible feeling of "survival of the fittest" as he kept taking down the remainder of the spiders that were still hot on her trail only to realize he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings again. He kept firing off without hesitation trying to keep her safe and closing the tunnel that he forgot about the incoming onslaught of the spiders that were tracking his shots.

 _"_ _Dammit"_ His situational awareness was lacking. He began to fire on the nearby spiders closing in on his location catching them in the air as they leaped even closer to him. Only 9 more spiders left; He shot the first three in the air, the other two were smashed into the nearby boulders and splattered. The four spiders spread out in an attempt to get to him before his final shots; missing one he stood up and waited for the incoming web. The spider sent a flurry of web after him but he rolled to the side and took it out in one shot.

 _"_ _3 left"_ Two spiders shot their web at him, he managed to shoot down one but the other two now had him surrounded. His arm was paralyzed and he could only manage one more shot. He fired off another round and came close to its mark hitting a spider but only managed to take off a leg.

 _"_ _Shit!"_ It was his last round, they were too close and he had to reload. He was done for; he was trapped in their web and couldn't manage to free himself. He was going to die like the other soldiers, slowly and painfully.

…

…

…

He heard the sound of the Wing Divers plasma cannon go off as sticky wet blood from the spider covered his face. He could hear her yelling as she got closer to him in a heartbeat. The last thing he remembered was a flash covering his face and a voice that sounded like heaven to him.


	8. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

 _"_ _Seriously! I can't work with anyone, I am better off on my on"_ His boss was busy with a mountain of paperwork. Merely sighing and giving small vocal answers as he complained the world to him.

 _"_ _I can't believe you're not even listening to me! She nearly got me killed, just so you know, I work better alone and…"_

 _"…_ _don't need anyone slowing me down."_ His boss was mocking him underneath his breath not even looking up as he tried finishing his next batch of paperwork.

 _"_ _You have no idea what I am going through do you? This isn't joke, well maybe it is to you, but for me its life or death."_ His boss was still looking down writing away at his reports.

 _"_ _Can't you at least say something?"_

His boss finally looked up at him and said:

 _"_ _You have no idea what I am going through do you?"_

Outraged, he exclaimed to him:

 _"_ _I am being serious here, she nearly got me killed not only that…"_ His boss stopped him when he picked up the report.

 _"_ _It says here, the EDF soldiers were given the order to retreat."_

 _"_ _I know that and…"_

 _"_ _AND YOUUU were responsible for her."_ His boss was looking at him with a scowl on his face.

 _"_ _Hey wait a minute that's not…"_

 _"_ _You also failed to report in as our patrol found you were having sex with her during the time you were supposed to report in?"_

He completely froze when he heard that.

 _"_ _Now wait just a gosh darn minute! There are circumstances to how they found us in same the sleeping bag."_ He was tomato red at that last statement.

 _"_ _Truth be told I don't care what you do, just stop coming to me for your complaints. I thought you were here to invite me over for a drink or something; instead you come in here bragging about your conquest. Get the hell out!"_

…

…

…

She was waiting impatiently outside the EDF's office building for him. He came out looking like a zombie, thanks to her he now had to write out paper work and report in more times than he cared to. He started to wonder if it would have been better off if he went rogue.

 _"_ _You look like you've just been put through the wringer."_ He looked up at her; the Wing Diver that was supposed to be his partner was now sabotaging his life.

 _"_ _You've got some nerve…"_ She quickly cut him off.

 _"_ _Let's go eat, I am starving"_ He felt she was just taking him for an idiot or something.

 _"_ _I just got chewed out by my boss would it kill you to be a little more caring?"_

 _"_ _I want pizza."_ She grabbed hold of his arm.

 _"_ _Are you even listening to me?"_ She smiled up at him. The way they were both walking made him start thinking that somehow they ended up on a date together.

…

…

…

They sat down at the EDF's Pizza Parlor and ordered and Extra-large for the both of them. It was a good opportunity for him to talk to her.

 _"_ _All right listen it's about the other day."_ She was looking at him with anticipation as if she already knew what he was going to say.

 _"_ _Oh Yeah! You were really into it, I can't believe you would take advantage of me like that, but I already decided what to name our kids."_

He was going to choke on his food if this continued.

 _"_ _First of all, I am pretty sure nothing remotely close happened like that and second I am not talking about the sleeping bag. I am talking about the shield bearer yesterday."_ She looked at him in disappointment; she wanted to tease him a little longer.

 _"_ _I want you to request a new assignment from headquarters, if this go on you are sure to wind up dead."_ She took a bite out of her pizza and continued to chew.

 _"_ _If you really want to kill bugs then the Wing Diver division is where you belong, if you're out in the field with me there is a good possibility you won't last long."_ She continued to munch on the pizza just giving him a blank stare with no answer.

 _"_ _Besides if you're with me there's no telling when I would have to use you for something suicidal…"_ He started trailing off while she was finishing the food. He still hadn't even taken a bite when he said.

 _"_ _Are you even listening?"_ She finished chewing and said;

 _"_ _This pizza is really good"_

 _"_ _I am not joking around here!"_

 _"_ _Neither am I, this pizza is really good."_ He started to raise his voice at her.

 _"_ _Are you ok with this? I am going to use you like a tool, you understand? When it comes down to it we will be on the front lines. There will be no turning back! If you're with the Wing Diver division you will be…"_

 _"…_ _Safe!?"_ She interrupted his little tantrum that was bringing in unwanted attention standing up to yell in his face.

 _"_ _You think I will be safe from a ravager invasion? Sorry, I am not a little girl for you to treat me like one. I am not asking for your protection or your sympathy, I am well aware of the dangers!"_

They were both standing up screaming their heads off to one another. He had never been in a position where he had to yell like this to anyone before. He calmly sat down and took a bite of the pizza; she sat down after him and said:

 _"_ _I don't mind being a tool"_

 _"_ _Are you sure? This may be the only chance for you to get re-assigned"_

 _"_ _I won't be the only one left alive again"_

It seems he had misunderstood her; she wanted to be on the front. He had taken for granted that he needed to protect her but realized she wasn't asking to be looked after, she was asking to fight. He looked at her watery eyes and decided he wasn't going to convince her otherwise, she was set on this decision. Instead he took the rest of his pizza and devoured it like a hungry child.

 _"_ _You better eat up; we have a lot of training to do"_

 _"_ _Yes sir"_

He felt a little more comfortable around her now. At least his conscious wasn't eating away at him anymore and he figured he would just live with the little bit of extra duty he gained from HQ.

 _"_ _By the way, how did you end up in my sleeping bag?"_ He could see the notable blush and her eyes that shied away at the embarrassment.

 _"_ _The poison in the web got to you and I couldn't keep you from shivering that's all"_

 _"_ _Uh-huh"_

 _"_ _Don't make it sound like that you hear? I was just trying to keep you warm."_

As he finished his pizza, he started to wonder if his life had gotten better or worse.


	9. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Training

 _"_ _Again? But I am already tired and hurting."_

 _"_ _Good! Training starts when you're ready to give up."_

They had set up a course in the city, running through the scenario of being chased down while he targeted her with rubber bullets. Each time one of them messed up she would either get hit with a rubber bullet or he would feel her incoming fists to his face for not being able to track her movements properly.

Each day was as tiring as the next but he felt they had to do this while there was still time to practice. Nothing prepares you for an unknown battle but going down without putting effort was a waste of time and of life. He was determined to keep his partner safe even if it meant he would exhaust himself doing so. It's not that he somehow discovered feelings towards her; it's just that this was his chance to kill more bugs than any squad combined. With her agility and his talents the ravager invasion could very well come to a halt and the front lines wouldn't be so bad if the EDF's resources came together for an all-out war, or so he thought.

She lay on the ground gasping for breath; he sat beside her and started to bandage up his wrist. He was used to the pain of the recoil but due to the amount of training they were putting in, this was the first time he had seen his blisters open with a drop blood. It was beginning to sting like hell just by looking at his opening wounds.

Dusk had slowly made its way upon them so they would have to find cover eventually.


End file.
